On the Progenitors of Core-Collapse Supernovae

Theory holds that a star born with an initial mass between about 8 and 140 times the mass of the Sun will end its life through the catastrophic gravitational collapse of its iron core to a neutron star or black hole. This core collapse process is thought to usually be accompanied by the ejection of the star's envelope as a supernova. This established theory is now being tested observationally, with over three dozen core-collapse supernovae having had the properties of their progenitor stars directly measured through the examination of high-resolution images taken prior to the explosion. Here I review what has been learned from these studies and briefly examine the potential impact on stellar evolution theory, the existence of "failed supernovae", and our understanding of the core-collapse explosion mechanism.Comment: 7 Pages, invited review accepted for publication by Astrophysics and Space Science (special HEDLA 2010 issue

Relocating Underwater Features Autonomously Using Sonar-Based SLAM

This paper describes a system for reacquiring features of interest in a shallow-water ocean environment, using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) equipped with low-cost sonar and navigation sensors. In performing mine countermeasures, it is critical to enable AUVs to navigate accurately to previously mapped objects of interest in the water column or on the seabed, for further assessment or remediation. An important aspect of the overall system design is to keep the size and cost of the reacquisition vehicle as low as possible, as it may potentially be destroyed in the reacquisition mission. This low-cost requirement prevents the use of sophisticated AUV navigation sensors, such as a Doppler velocity log (DVL) or an inertial navigation system (INS). Our system instead uses the Proviewer 900-kHz imaging sonar from Blueview Technologies, which produces forward-looking sonar (FLS) images at ranges up to 40 m at approximately 4 Hz. In large volumes, it is hoped that this sensor can be manufactured at low cost. Our approach uses a novel simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithm that detects and tracks features in the FLS images to renavigate to a previously mapped target. This feature-based navigation (FBN) system incorporates a number of recent advances in pose graph optimization algorithms for SLAM. The system has undergone extensive field testing over a period of more than four years, demonstrating the potential for the use of this new approach for feature reacquisition. In this report, we review the methodologies and components of the FBN system, describe the system's technological features, review the performance of the system in a series of extensive in-water field tests, and highlight issues for future research.QC 20130822</p

Classtalk: A Classroom Communication System for Active Learning

This pdf file is an article describing the advantages of using Classtalk technology in the classroom to enhance classroom communication. Classtalk technology cab facilitate the presentation of questions for small group work, collec the student answers and then display histograms showing how the class answered. This new communication technology can help instructors create a more interactive, student centered classroom, especially when teaching large courses. The article describes Classtalk as a very useful tool not only for engaging students in active learning, but also for enhancing the overall communication within the classroom. This article is a selection from the electronic Journal for Computing in Higher Education. Educational levels: Graduate or professional

WD + MS systems as the progenitor of SNe Ia

We show the initial and final parameter space for SNe Ia in a ($\log P^{\rm i}, M_{\rm 2}^{\rm i}$) plane and find that the positions of some famous recurrent novae, as well as a supersoft X-ray source (SSS), RX J0513.9-6951, are well explained by our model. The model can also explain the space velocity and mass of Tycho G, which is now suggested to be the companion star of Tycho's supernova. Our study indicates that the SSS, V Sge, might be the potential progenitor of supernovae like SN 2002ic if the delayed dynamical-instability model due to Han & Podsiadlowski (2006) is appropriate. Following the work of Meng, Chen & Han (2009), we found that the SD model (WD + MS) with an optically thick wind can explain the birth rate of supernovae like SN 2006X and reproduce the distribution of the color excess of SNe Ia. The model also predicts that at least 75% of all SNe Ia may show a polarization signal in their spectra.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Science (Proceeding of the 4th Meeting on Hot Subdwarf Stars and Related Objects, edited by Zhanwen Han, Simon Jeffery & Philipp Podsiadlowski

3D Mapping, Localisation and Object Retrieval using Low Cost Robotic Platforms: A Robotic Search Engine for the Real-World

In this paper we present work in progress on the development of a low-cost autonomous robotic platform that integrates multiple state-of-the-art techniques in RGB-D perception to form a system capable of completing a real-world task in an entirely autonomous fashion. The task we set out to complete is determining the location of a preselected object within the physical world. This experiment requires a robotic framework with a number of capabilities including autonomous exploration, dense real-time localisation and mapping, object detection, path planning and motion control

Structural Invariance of Sunspot Umbrae Over the Solar Cycle: 1993-2004

Measurements of maximum magnetic flux, minimum intensity, and size are presented for 12 967 sunspot umbrae detected on the NASA/NSO spectromagnetograms between 1993 and 2004 to study umbral structure and strength during the solar cycle. The umbrae are selected using an automated thresholding technique. Measured umbral intensities are first corrected for a confirming observation of umbral limb-darkening. Log-normal fits to the observed size distribution confirm that the size spectrum shape does not vary with time. The intensity-magnetic flux relationship is found to be steady over the solar cycle. The dependence of umbral size on the magnetic flux and minimum intensity are also independent of cycle phase and give linear and quadratic relations, respectively. While the large sample size does show a low amplitude oscillation in the mean minimum intensity and maximum magnetic flux correlated with the solar cycle, this can be explained in terms of variations in the mean umbral size. These size variations, however, are small and do not substantiate a meaningful change in the size spectrum of the umbrae generated by the Sun. Thus, in contrast to previous reports, the observations suggest the equilibrium structure, as testified by the invariant size-magnetic field relationship, as well as the mean size (i.e. strength) of sunspot umbrae do not significantly depend on solar cycle phase.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures. Published in Solar Physic

On the fourth-order accurate compact ADI scheme for solving the unsteady Nonlinear Coupled Burgers' Equations

The two-dimensional unsteady coupled Burgers' equations with moderate to severe gradients, are solved numerically using higher-order accurate finite difference schemes; namely the fourth-order accurate compact ADI scheme, and the fourth-order accurate Du Fort Frankel scheme. The question of numerical stability and convergence are presented. Comparisons are made between the present schemes in terms of accuracy and computational efficiency for solving problems with severe internal and boundary gradients. The present study shows that the fourth-order compact ADI scheme is stable and efficient

Sterols sense swelling in lipid bilayers

In the mimetic membrane system of phosphatidylcholine bilayers, thickening (pre-critical behavior, anomalous swelling) of the bilayers is observed, in the vicinity of the main transition, which is non-linear with temperature. The sterols cholesterol and androsten are used as sensors in a time-resolved simultaneous small- and wide angle x-ray diffraction study to investigate the cause of the thickening. We observe precritical behavior in the pure lipid system, as well as with sterol concentrations less than 15%. To describe the precritical behavior we introduce a theory of precritical phenomena.The good temperature resolution of the data shows that a theory of the influence of fluctuations needs modification. The main cause of the critical behavior appears to be a changing hydration of the bilayer.Comment: 11 pages, 7 ps figures included, to appear in Phys.Rev.

Spin interactions and switching in vertically tunnel-coupled quantum dots

We determine the spin exchange coupling J between two electrons located in two vertically tunnel-coupled quantum dots, and its variation when magnetic (B) and electric (E) fields (both in-plane and perpendicular) are applied. We predict a strong decrease of J as the in-plane B field is increased, mainly due to orbital compression. Combined with the Zeeman splitting, this leads to a singlet-triplet crossing, which can be observed as a pronounced jump in the magnetization at in-plane fields of a few Tesla, and perpendicular fields of the order of 10 Tesla for typical self-assembled dots. We use harmonic potentials to model the confining of electrons, and calculate the exchange J using the Heitler-London and Hund-Mulliken technique, including the long-range Coulomb interaction. With our results we provide experimental criteria for the distinction of singlet and triplet states and therefore for microscopic spin measurements. In the case where dots of different sizes are coupled, we present a simple method to switch on and off the spin coupling with exponential sensitivity using an in-plane electric field. Switching the spin coupling is essential for quantum computation using electronic spins as qubits.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure